When you hear the booming John Williams’ soundtrack and the yellow opening crawl appears on the screen, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” it’s difficult not to feel nostalgic. Thanks to writer-director Rian Johnson, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ successfully passes the baton from the original cast to the millennials that will continue the fight against the evil empire for decades to come. Johnson delivers spectacular action sequences, humorous one-liners and a solid installment in the revered space opera. The curse of Star Wars is that most viewers are looking for the next masterpiece but if you treat it like a movie serial, it makes ‘The Last Jedi’ a highly enjoyable moviegoing experience.
Tackling the Star Wars universe is a daunting task. You have some fans that criticize too much nostalgia while others cringe at too many surprises. Johnson understands this and that is why it works so well. You can tell that he grew up playing with a Millennium Falcon as a kid. He respects the old-school characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Hans Solo but is also aware that for the story to move forward Rey, Finn and Poe need to carry the torch (lightsaber) for the franchise to prosper. Say what you will about Disney’s strategy but they have chosen a path that takes few risks to ensure that the next generation will enjoy it as much as their parents did when they were growing up. ‘The Last Jedi’ is a solid addition but it would be nice to see the next sequel titled ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ take a few more chances.
To Johnson’s credit, the story moves briskly. The film opens with a space battle that includes rebel pilot Poe (Oscar Isaac) taking out a destroyer in the First Order’s fleet. His reckless mission goes against the orders of General Leia (Carrie Fisher in her final performance) that result in dire consequences. Meanwhile, our heroine Rey (Daisy Ridley) has found Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) on a desolate island. She is trying to convince him to teach her about the Force. Will he teach her like Yoda served him back in the day? Luke is real bitter about his former pupil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) going to the Dark Side. Driver delivers an impressive performance as the emo Darth Vader wannabe that allows him to show off his acting range. Another subplot deals with reluctant hero Finn (John Boyega) and a new character Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) getting help from of a weird codebreaker Benicio Del Toro to disable a tracking device on a First Order spacecraft.
At one point in the movie, Kylo tells Rey “Let the past die.” It’s a fitting statement since the new characters will now pilot the franchise to new adventures. Ridley still gives Rey that feisty energy to her role. Surprisingly, Driver and Ridley have some powerful scenes together. When the two battle against Supreme Leader Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) red-armored guards, it is one of the highlights of the film. Meanwhile, the resistance fleet is barely surviving an incessant barrage of enemy fire ordered by the First Order’s General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson). Johnson’s space battle scenes are visually stunning. He creates a new way of introducing First Order Dreadnoughts into view that make them even more menacing than they already are. Although the running time is about 2 ½ hours, the fast-paced action makes the film travel at light speed.
Johnson also captures the spirit of the original movies with familiar faces such as Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and even a cameo from Yoda. What would Star Wars be without some new creatures? Wait until you see Porgs. Your kids will love these cute little guys. So to sum it up, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ delivers a solid sci-fi extravaganza that masterfully cherishes the past before setting a new course for the future.
